Exceptional Promise Refusal – Need Advice Before Administrative Review

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Exceptional Promise Refusal – Need Advice Before Administrative Review.

Hello everyone,

I recently applied for the UK Global Talent Visa under the Exceptional Promise route and unfortunately received a refusal. Before submitting an Administrative Review request, I would really appreciate feedback from members who may have experienced something similar.

(Please see screenshot below for feedback)

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My Background

I ‘m software engineer in digital technology company in EU.

I submitted 3 letters:

  1. One from a tech leader outside my organisation (18+ years of experience, LinkedIn included), with whom I collaborated on building a digital platform.
  2. Two letters from senior colleagues within my company (CV, LinkedIn included)

Evidence Submitted

Mandatory Criterion

  • Cloud feasibility study I authored (emails exchanged with management and presentation screenshots included)
  • Internal recognition award: Compliance Champion 2025
  • Annual performance review rated “Above Expectations”

OC 2

  • Development of a digital platform outside my primary employment (website link included)
  • Voluntary IT assistance for a nonprofit organisation in the UK (certificate + recognition email submitted)
  • Initiated and organised the creation of an IT team (supported by recommendation letter from a Senior Backend Engineer)

OC 3

  • Leading development work on a major client project
  • Screenshots showing project delivery, client satisfaction (MantisBT), and assigned responsibilities/tasks
  • Metrics and impact referenced in recommendation letters and personal statement.

Main Refusal Feedback

The panel stated that much of the evidence was:

  • Internal or self-authored, testimonial in nature
  • Lacking independently verifiable third-party impact

My Concern

I followed Immigration Rules - Immigration Rules Appendix Global Talent - Guidance - GOV.UK for the Digital Technology endorsement

One thing I may have misunderstood is the level of weight given to internal evidence. Since I work mainly on confidential and enterprise-scale projects, much of my evidence naturally came from employers, managers, colleagues, and project stakeholders.

For example:

  • I included metrics and impact statements in recommendation letters and personal statements.
  • I provided links to GitHub, websites.
  • Some associated social media/community pages publicly show user engagement and audience size, although I did not explicitly highlight these metrics in the evidence itself.

My questions are:

  1. Are screenshots generally considered weak evidence in these applications?
  2. For applicants working on confidential/client-sensitive systems, how is impact usually demonstrated in a way considered independently verifiable?
  3. Is it common for internal recommendation letters and performance evidence to be given limited weight?
  4. Why was “ET scale” mentioned if I applied for EP?

My goal is to understand whether I may be overlooking something in the panel’s reasoning, and whether my review arguments are likely to be relevant or weak.

Thank you in advance for any guidance.

2 Likes
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Sorry for the promise decision. I don’t think I’m professional enough to leave detailed comments on this, so I’ll leave it to people more experienced. But if you don’t mind, could you share the application timeline? Thank you very much!

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The panel’s feedback points to the core issue: almost everything in this application is internal or self-authored. The cloud feasibility study you wrote, the Compliance Champion award from your employer, and the performance review are all generated within your own organisation. The guide is explicit that “internal company awards, training or certificates are not sufficient” for MC, and “letters of reference alone to show how you meet the criteria is not sufficient” for any criterion. The panel needed third-party validation that exists independently of your employer’s assessment of you.

For OC2, voluntary IT assistance for a non-profit and organising an internal IT team don’t meet the bar. The guide requires activity that “contributes to the advancement of the digital technology sector” and specifically excludes work done “whilst representing a company with which you are associated.” The digital platform built outside employment is the only piece with potential here, but a website link alone without usage data, user testimonials, or independent coverage won’t carry weight.

For OC3, screenshots from MantisBT showing task assignments and client satisfaction are process artefacts, not evidence of significant contribution. The guide distinguishes between doing your job well and making a contribution that moves the field. Metrics referenced only in recommendation letters and your personal statement are testimonial by definition - the panel needs source documents like revenue dashboards, product analytics, or client contracts showing measurable impact.

On the Administrative Review question: review only checks for processing errors, not whether the panel should have weighed your evidence differently. The guide says “it should not be used to only argue against the endorsement decision” and “new evidence cannot be submitted.” Given that the feedback identifies a structural gap in evidence type rather than a misreading of what you submitted, a review is unlikely to change the outcome. A fresh application with externally verifiable evidence - published coverage, open source contributions, conference speaking, independently documented product impact - would be a stronger path.

3 Likes
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Thank you for your time :),

I work in a digital technology company, and the projects I work on are confidential and critical.
This is the evidence I currently have available.

Would a letter from the client help strengthen my application?